Night at opera is 'a grand affair'

Much is new about Lyric Opera's leadership and approach, says Kenneth Pigott, the company's — also new — president and CEO.

New characters and a plot twist or two mark Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2011-12 season. Opening night, featuring Offenbach's "The Tales of Hoffmann" and a dinner and dance afterward, unfolds under a new general director, Anthony Freud, the first "outsider" in that role in the company's 57-year history. The black-tie affair is expected to net$810,000 to fund the grand opera for which the company is internationally known. Another newcomer is the company's first director of institutional giving, Christopher Jabin. The latest brainstorm from creative consultant Renée Fleming, brought on board last December, teams Lyric with the Merit School of Music, a West Loop institution that offers music lessons to underprivileged kids. Lyric Opera rolled out its first ad campaign this fall and also has a new president and CEO,Kenneth Pigott,67, managing partner of Vaduz Partners LLC, a Chicago-based investment firm. Crain's spoke to Mr. Pigott about opening night and the newness afoot:

CRAIN'S: What do the changes at Lyric Opera mean for opera lovers?

MR. PIGOTT: The events are seminal in nature. I believe it means that, over time, we're going to create more interest in the art form with a combination of better communicating about it, broadening the things we bring to the stage and redefining what the opera company means, in terms of being willing to go outside the house and engage more fully with the community. And being willing to collaborate with other performing-arts organizations in the city. And, by the way, we are going to have to fund these activities, as well.

Mr. Freud, who comes to Lyric from Houston Grand Opera, is the first general director in Lyric's history who's not home-grown.

I think he deeply respects the culture of Lyric and has a full understanding of elements that have contributed to success, starting with (past general directors) Carol Fox, Ardis Krainik and then Bill Mason. At the same time, he's full of new and different approaches. I think the board and senior staff of the company are very energized. It's a very exciting time.

Ticket sales are still brisk at 91%, but not at the 103%-to-104% levels of pre-recession days. Does that make this opening night more important as a fundraiser?

It's a very important event to us. The Women's Board does a fabulous job with it; I'm confident we will have success with it. We're going to have to sustain growth in our contributed-income levels over a sustained period of years and keep up ticket sales. It's a long-term issue, ultimately.

It's a grand affair, with the serenade of trumpets in the beginning as people enter the ballroom, and the Women's Board has a tradition of the grand march, with the principal singers, the conductor and the director. It's really one of the grand affairs still remaining, followed by a good time with a great band and hopefully a good meal.

And the rest of the season?

I think it's going to be an exciting season. We're looking forward to all the new folks around and the energy. When we made the Renée Fleming announcement last December, as part of the funding for that, we set aside a basket of funds for some direct advertising — billboards, bus ads, print ads — which the company hasn't done in the past. There will be an overt effort to create more awareness around the changes going forward. Time will tell how that does.